Four Eyes AND 4.0 GPA? The Study of Whether People with Glasses Are Perceived to be More Intelligent and Less Attractive

Overview

Objectives/Goals The experiment was performed to evaluate, through a survey, if individuals who wear glasses appear to be more intelligent but less attractive. The expectations were that people who wear glasses appear to be more intelligent but are considered less attractive than those who do not. This was done in order to investigate whether or not the glasses stereotype is still valid. Methods/Materials Stock photos of twenty various adult subjects, eight with glasses, were organized into five groups of five photos and made into a survey. Each group represented a different category of individuals: females, multiracials, young adults, males and senior citizens. Fifty participants who took the survey ranked the subjects based on attractiveness, intelligence, successfulness, popularity, and friendliness. Data was then tallied and graphed in an Excel spreadsheet. Results Individuals with glasses were voted most intelligent in three out of five groups and were voted least attractive in two out of the five groups. The type of glasses also impacted the results, with subjects wearing "hipster" glasses, glasses with thicker frames, receiving the most votes for attractiveness in every group. Conclusions/Discussion The conclusion is that people who wear glasses are more likely to be perceived as intelligent, and are in fewer instances perceived to be less attractive. This weakly reinforces the stereotype of people who wear glasses to be more intelligent, but less attractive.

Awards (1)

• Honorable Mention

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Behavioral & Social Sciences · Entry J0407

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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